Stealing Silence(7)

“And how, exactly, am I supposed to break in and out of a high security facility with a sack of fertilizer on my back? Unless there are hump-backed gargoyles on the building, it will be completely impossible to hide.”

“Ah, well we have a plan for that. It involves some former townsfolk who work at the facility. They can get you in and out, but once inside you would need to find your way alone. We are working on a map of the facility. It is being committed to memory and drawn in the evening hours. But nothing can go in or out of the facility without being scanned or searched. The workers do not even wear their own clothing inside the facility. They are made to change between two secure check points. What is on the inside stays inside and vice-versa.”

“You still haven’t explained how I am to carry a hundred pound sack of fertilizer out of the plant.”

“Well that is easy. You don’t. We just need a sample to analyze. You see, we want to make our own.”

“Oh.” Avalon thought for a moment then said, “So what is so special about this fertilizer? Is it like a miracle cure or something?”

“That is also something we do not understand. This is the first year for the lottery. Whatever goes into it, it is the only thing that is allowed to be used in the greenhouses, so we need to replicate it exactly, or risk being found out. A small gain in yield could still look like just hard work. It might be enough to save us, if we harvest carefully this fall.” Mitch chewed down to the core of the apple then produced a napkin into which he tucked the seeds. He held it out to Avalon and had her deposit the core alongside his. “We may never need these seeds, but then again we just might. I prefer to play it safe and save the seeds. I have a whole jar full at home.”

Avalon smiled at him. She liked him, she realized with a start. It had been so long since she had genuinely liked someone that the feeling was strange. The smile faded as the seriousness of the proposition settled around her shoulders. “I could get shot, doing this.”

“You could have been shot last night doing what you did. Isn’t the prize worth the risk? One meal versus meals for a year or more? If you are going to steal, then you had best make it so worthwhile that the decision becomes obvious.”

Avalon nodded. He was right. Besides she had more to think about than just herself. Suddenly she realized she was sitting there, stuffing her face while her sister starved. Abruptly she said, “I want to go home now.”

“Where is home?”

“I will direct you.”

“Alright.” Mitch packed up the box and placed it on the back seat then started the engine, pulling out on the dirt road.





Chapter 5


Home




INSTEAD OF HEADING back to the highway, Avalon directed Mitch to continue down the dirt road, following the twists and turns of the sunken river. At one point a covered bridge presented itself and they rattled across the wooden floor to the other side of the river, following a road that had existed as long as the town. Mitch knew the oldest farms and the oldest families lived across the river. It was with a growing suspicion, as they passed farm after abandoned farm, that he drove to the only possible destination left - Gainsborough Manor. Set high on the hill, the manor had been a landmark for two centuries. It had sat empty for five years, ever since their mysterious disappearance. Everyone had vanished without a trace, on a quiet summer’s evening much like this one, only a steady drizzle had accompanied him on the long drive.

He had received an emergency call from the manor from a little girl who had said some bad men were at the house and hurting her mommy and daddy. She had whispered into the phone as though she were talking under blankets in a closet, the voice muted and muffled. When they had arrived, the manor lights had been blazing but the house was empty. They’d searched it top to bottom and the only clue that they had uncovered were tire tracks in the soft mud. A vehicle, possibly a Hummer, had been at the location. They’d followed the trail back to the main highway and lost it on the drying pavement.

The family had never been located.

Mitch turned into the lane and the empty-eyed house stared at him, the door agape on failing hinges. The sad condition of the once stately manor saddened him. He drove his Mustang up the circular drive and stopped in front of a crumbling stone staircase. Turning off the engine, he looked at Avalon.

“You are the one who called me on the emergency line five years ago. You are one of the two Gainsborough children, aren’t you.”

Avalon blinked at him, and then looked out her window at the manor. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Where is your sister?”

“Safe. I care for her.” She turned her face back to him, meeting his eyes and he saw fierce loyalty and love in her challenging gaze. “This is our home. We never left. We do not live in the house though, it is a target for vandals and raiders and gangs. We have made our home elsewhere.”

“Where?” He leaned toward her, anxious to know the truth after so many years. How in the world have they survived? It’s a miracle. He wondered, but he did not voice the thought aloud.

“The barn by the river.” She looked longingly at the picnic cooler. “Alexa is there. Can I take her some food? Please, she will be so hungry. I promised her last night that I would bring her food.” Avalon hated the pleading note that entered her voice, but she needed the food, badly.